Parking issue is also important

I WRITE in response to Councillor Peter Chowney’s response in last week’s Observer about plans to move a doctors’ surgery to the bowling green in Falaise Road.

Should it be the case that what Hastings Borough Council (HBC) has allowed there is ‘usual neighbour consultation’ and ‘be subject to the council’s customary planning application procedures’, I suggest he ensures HBC planning policies on consultation conform to the law of the land over parking.

HBC is failing to conform to the requirements within the National Planning Policy Framework and The Localism Act 2011 and the Government-published Decentralisation and Localism Bill: An Essential Guide dated December 2010.

The only parking HBC has assured is 10 reserved places free of charge all day for doctors and staff who earn up to £100,000, leaving the elderly bowling fraternity paying 80p per seesion parking fees.

The Falaise Road car park was for more than 100 years a sports car park under the Tourism and Leisure Department.

HBC, without consultation, changed it into a public car park granted with reduced parking fees for sports use.

There are 54 parking spaces and the bowls needs are above that already. There is no off-street parking because again, without consultation, HBC took that as a coach park.

No wonder we bowlers are furious and in fear of losing all parking facilities. Many of us are over 75 and lots are disabled.

So please Councillor Chowney, tell us, how do you reconcile your statements with not only the law of the land, but creating a fair accompli to the detriment of citizens of Hastings?

How do councillors sleep at night giving free all day parking to doctors and staff while insisting the elderly, retired people of Hastings pay 80p per bowling session?

The current development in Falaise Road also fails to conform to the purposes of the gardens.